No. 88 Chevrolet
JR Motorsports

It is a treacherous climb up the ladder in the world of racing, but Cole Whitt has made every rung look easy. A wunderkind in go-karts where he won 10 national titles, Cole made the leap to Sprint Cars and Midgets in the hyper-competitive United States Auto Club (USAC). In a division that groomed the likes of A.J. Foyt, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Kasey Kahne, Cole became the youngest national champion in the sanctioning body’s history, winning the 2008 USAC National Midget Championship in his first full season competing at the national level. After earning the attention of the Red Bull Racing NASCAR team, Cole made the leap from Sprint Cars to Stock Cars and made a memorable debut for Red Bull. He won the pole and claimed his first of six top-five finishes in the K&N Pro Series East. In 2011, Cole moved up to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, racking up 11 top-10s and one pole en route to a ninth-place finish in the championship points. Toward the tail end of the year, Cole also made two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts and three in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. With those starts, he solidified himself as one of the few drivers to have raced in all three of NASCAR’s top touring series before the age of 21.  His success earned him a full-time Nationwide Series ride in 2012 with JR Motorsports in the #88 car owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. For Cole, it is just one more logical step up the ladder to his dream of racing with the best in the world.

Career Highlights

Ninth, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (2011)
Fourth, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (2010)
USAC Super License Award (2009)
Second, USAC National Sprint Car (2009)
Sixth, USAC National Midgets (2009)
USAC National Midget champion (2008)
Fourth, USAC National Sprint Car (2008)
34 top-10 finishes in 60 starts (2007)
Hoosier Sprint Car rookie of the year (2006)
Red Bull Driver Search semifinalist (2004)
Eight-time International Karting Federation Grand National champion
Two-time World Karting Association Grand National champion

>> Click for career NASCAR stats.

Personal

Born June 22, 1991…raised in Alpine, Calif…enjoys working on his racecars in the shop, fishing, hunting, and playing video games…as a big animal lover, Cole supports a rescue facility called Lions Tigers & Bears…official website at www.colewhitt.com.